Cohomological equation and cocycle rigidity of parabolic actions in some higher-rank Lie groups (Q903084)

The cohomological equation studied here takes the form \(\mathfrak{u}f=g\) where \(\mathfrak{u}\) is a vector in the root space of the Lie algebra of a Lie group \(G\) and \(g\) is a vector in a Hilbert space \(H\) carrying a unitary representation \(\pi\) of \(G\) which has no non-trivial \(G\)-invariant vectors. Understanding such equations is an essential ingredient in obtaining various rigidity phenomena for higher-rank situations. Here obstructions to finding a solution, construction of smooth solutions, and tame Sobolev estimates are found for certain higher-rank \(\mathbb{R}\)-split simple Lie groups. In addition the infinitesimal form of the cocycle equation \(\mathfrak{u}h=vg\) where \(\mathfrak{u}\) and \(\mathfrak{v}\) are commutative vectors in different root spaces and \(g,h\) are given vectors. Solutions are found if \(\mathfrak{u,v}\) embed in \(\mathfrak{sl}_2(\mathbb{R})\times\mathbb{R}\) and counter-examples are found in each \(\mathrm{SL}_n(\mathbb{R})\) for \(n\geq3\). The proofs involve a novel application of the Mackey theory for unitary duals of \(\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\ltimes\mathbb{R}^2\) and \((\mathrm{SL}_2(\mathbb{R})\ltimes\mathbb{R}^2)\ltimes\mathbb{R}^3\), and the results are used to obtain smooth cocycle rigidity for higher-rank parabolic actions over homogeneous spaces of the group if the Lie algebra of the acting parabolic subgroup contains a pair of elements that embed into \(\mathfrak{sl}_2(\mathbb{R})\times\mathbb{R}\).